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DC news and blog articles from The Huffington Posthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/carafem-abortion-clinic_n_6970956.htmlNina Bahadurhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/carafem-abortion-clinic_n_6970956.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:18:18 -0400
That's one of the advertising slogans used by Carafem, an abortion clinic opening this week just outside of Washington, D.C. The clinic plans to approach abortion as a straightforward part of women's health care, hoping to make the procedure a streamlined process that is easy to access.

Carafem will provide the abortion pill to women who are less than 10 weeks pregnant. Patients will be able to book appointments -- offered on evenings and weekends, as well as during weekdays -- through an online portal or via a 24-hour hotline manned by multilingual staff members. The clinic also promises a short procedure time of around one hour, and a lower-than-average price point of approximately $400 for an abortion.

Terminating a pregnancy with the abortion pill involves two steps. Patients take the first pill, mifepristone, which stops the embryo from growing and detaches it from the uterine wall. Between 24 and 72 hours later, they take the second pill, misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract and expel the embryo. Carafem patients will take the mifepristone pill at the clinic after undergoing tests and speaking with a doctor, then be sent home with the misoprostol pill. Staff members will follow up with each patient to ensure that the termination was successful.

Chris Purdy, the president & CEO of Carafem, told The Huffington Post that he came up with the idea for the clinic around 18 months ago, after returning from 20 years working for family planning programs in Turkey, Ethiopia and Indonesia. Purdy was shocked to find that it was still so difficult for many women in the U.S. to access abortion care. He worked with Melissa S. Grant, a former Planned Parenthood director who is now Carafem's vice president of health services, on a model to provide early-term abortion services that reduce some of the barriers women seeking abortion commonly face, and make the experience less clinical.

"We wanted to make the experience one that was more caring and more kind," Purdy told The Huffington Post. "Very professional, focused on the quality of care, the woman and her experience."

Grant told HuffPost that they hope to "de-medicalize" the procedure as much as possible, providing "non-judgmental and unapologetic care." The pair has worked to eliminate some of the intimidating sights, noises and smells of a traditional doctor's office. Patients will speak with medical staff one-on-one in small, comfortable rooms devoid of intimidating medical equipment. As much of the testing and preliminary work as possible will be carried out in one room, rather than moving the patient from place to place within the clinic. And, while staff members are fully briefed on security and safety procedures, the abortion clinic will look no different from any other office.

“It was important for us to try to present an upgraded, almost spa-like feel,” Grant told The Washington Post.

Grant and Purdy stressed that they wanted women who visited the clinic for an abortion to be completely educated on each step of the procedure, and to feel comfortable and supported throughout. Grant emphasized the clinic's focus on "the language that we use, the welcoming policies and procedures that we put in place, and making sure that if a woman needs additional time with a doctor, she has it."

Ultimately, their hope is to demonstrate a new standard of care for women seeking abortions.

"There is a myth that abortion clinics are lonely and scary places," Grant said. "That doesn't have to be true."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported that the clinic was opening in Washington, D.C. It is located just outside of the District in Montgomery County, Maryland, but will serve the greater D.C. area. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/coffee-liver-cancer-drink-it_n_6978432.htmlKate Bratskeirhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/coffee-liver-cancer-drink-it_n_6978432.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 14:05:30 -0400half of American grown-ups drink coffee every day. Their non-sipping counterparts may want to follow suit.

The numbers are pretty significant: Researchers found that a consistent love for coffee could lower liver cancer risk by 14 percent. As part of ongoing research for the Continuous Update Project, a research team at Imperial College London analyzed 34 existing global studies about how diet, nutrition, physical activity and weigh relate to cancer risk and survival. Collectively, the studies covered approximately 8.2 million adults and 24,500 cases of liver cancer. Researchers are not sure why coffee might protect against the disease, but they hypothesized that certain compounds in the beverage could help to fight toxins. "Both coffee and coffee extracts have also been shown to reduce the expression of genes involved in inflammation, and the effects appear to be most pronounced in the liver," the report reads.

Researchers also found that those with an alcohol habit benefited from the addition a coffee habit: Those who consumed about three alcoholic beverages a day could reduce liver damage, ultimately lessening their risk for liver cancer.

H/T: Grub Street ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/gregg-jacobs-insomnia_b_6978110.htmlArianna Huffingtonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/gregg-jacobs-insomnia_b_6978110.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:49:56 -0400Gregg Jacobs is an insomnia specialist at the Sleep Disorders Center at the UMass Memorial Medical Center and the author of Say Good Night to Insomnia. In answer to my questions, he shared his insights on how human sleep patterns have changed over time, healthier and more effective alternatives to sleeping pills, and how to reverse our worst sleep habits and behaviors.

Describe your research on insomnia.

I have a longstanding interest in the relationship between the mind and health. My doctoral research, which assessed the ability of the mind to control physiology, showed that it was possible to use deep relaxation techniques to voluntarily produce brain wave patterns that were identical to the initial stages of sleep. My postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School included research on the meditative practices of Tibetan monks. This research, conducted in a Tibetan monastery in Sikkim under the auspices of the Dalai Lama, revealed that advanced Tibetan monks possess remarkable control over their brain waves and physiology. This led to my efforts to develop a safe, drug-free intervention for insomnia, called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), over the past 30 years at the Harvard and University of Massachusetts medical schools. This research culminated in a landmark study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showing that CBT-I is more effective than Ambien. Because few people have access to CBT-I, my more recent efforts have focused on making CBT-I widely available in an inexpensive, practical format through my website, cbtforinsomnia.com. Numerous studies have recently demonstrated that internet-based CBT-I can be delivered as effectively as face-to-face CBT-I and is more practical and cost-effective.

You've discussed the history of segmented sleep. Do you believe we have evolved past this pattern, or are our bodies struggling against us when we try to sleep in one chunk of time? How does insomnia relate to this?

Research suggests that we may have displayed a polyphasic (i.e., multiple periods) sleep pattern for virtually all of our evolution until the recent advent of nighttime lighting. Prior to that, humans likely went to sleep soon after dusk and awakened at dawn in longer sleep periods that consisted of alternating bouts of sleep and wakefulness. This non-continuous sleep pattern is characteristic of virtually all mammals and is also the pattern we experience early and late in life. It is only in adult life, and the last 350 years of human history, that a more consolidated nocturnal sleep pattern is apparent. However, many adults still experience polyphasic sleep in the form of insomnia, and regular intervals of waking are still experienced in normal sleepers today, as evidenced by six to 12 brief awakenings per night (which most of us don't recall, for they are too short). Evidently, this polyphasic sleep pattern lies dormant in our physiology, met an evolutionary need, and therefore may be adaptive rather than a sleep disorder.

In segmented sleep, how was waking time between the two sleeps spent?

In prehistoric times, it may have been spent tending to the fire, being vigilant for predators, in deep relaxation, for creativity and problem solving, and a channel of communication between dreams and waking life. Historical accounts suggest it was used for sexual activity and socializing, reading and writing, praying, meditating on dreams, or tending to the fire in the cold months.

Tell me about cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. How does this treatment for insomnia compare with other methods like sleeping pills? What successes have you seen among your patients, and how can others incorporate the strategies into their sleep habits?

CBT-I is the most effective psychology-based treatment for a health problem and has consistently been proven to be the most effective first-line treatment for chronic insomnia. It improves sleep in 75 to 80 percent of insomnia patients and reduces or eliminates sleeping pill use in 90 percent of patients. It is so effective that I am surprised if my patients do not report improvement in sleep, or a reduction or elimination of sleeping pills, from CBT-I. And in three studies published in major medical journals that directly compared CBT with sleeping pills, including my study at Harvard Medical School, CBT-I was more effective than sleeping pills. CBT-I also has no side effects and maintains improvements in sleep long-term, and new research shows that CBT-I doubles the improvement rates of depression compared with antidepressant medication alone in depressed patients with insomnia.

In contrast to CBT-I, sleeping pills do not greatly improve sleep. Objectively, newer-generation sleeping pills such as Ambien are no more effective than a placebo. Subjectively, they only increase total sleep time, and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, by about 10 minutes. Furthermore, these small to moderate short-term improvements in sleep are often outweighed by significant side effects and risks, particularly in older adults. These include impairment of alertness, driving, and learning and memory (including sleep-dependent memory consolidation); increased mortality risk, as shown in almost two dozen scientific studies; and dependence, addiction, and activation of the same neurobiological pathways involved in drugs of abuse.

CBT-I is based on the idea that some individuals react to short-term insomnia (usually caused by stress) by worrying about sleep loss. After a few weeks of lying awake at night, frustrated and anxious about insomnia, they start to anticipate not sleeping and become apprehensive about going to bed. They soon learn to associate the bed with sleeplessness and frustration; consequently, the bed quickly becomes a learned cue for wakefulness and insomnia. As a result, they begin to engage in these types of maladaptive sleep habits, thoughts and behaviors that exacerbate insomnia that must be changed with CBT-I (sleeping pills are marginally effective because they do not change these behaviors):

Negative, distorted thoughts and beliefs about insomnia such as "I must get eight hours of sleep" or "I did not sleep a wink last night."

Going to bed too early or sleeping too late and spending excessive time in bed.

Irregular arising times.

Trying to control sleep rather than letting it happen.

Lying awake in bed, frustrated and tense.

Using the bed and bedroom for activities other than sleep.

Use of electronic devices before bedtime.

]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/ted-cruz-interview-thoughts_n_6972174.htmlAndy McDonaldhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/ted-cruz-interview-thoughts_n_6972174.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:34:28 -0400
Cruz has been making the rounds at various media outlets now that he's announced his candidacy, and that means there are even more riveting Ted Cruz interviews to take in.

You might have noticed that Cruz has this calming, hypnotizing way of speaking, which makes it easy for your mind to relax and wander. But did you ever consider the things you think about when you're watching a Ted Cruz interview? Well, let's think about them together!

1. "What other names besides 'Ted Cruz' would also make him sound like a fictional college jock?"

It's so dynamic and flashy sounding, like his hair should be slicked back for his job as an extra in "Grease." Sean Rocker. Tony Crush. Rob Thunder. Ben Chill. Chris Boom. Ted Cruz.

2. "I wonder if he suppresses his Canadian accent."

If so, does it come out when he drinks?

3. "This guy is probably a caricature artist's dream."

His features are very defined and recognizable. Would he want to be drawn with roller skates or riding a sweet scooter? "You like roller skatin', Teddy?"

Hey, that guy being tackled coming over the Canadian border could have been Ted Cruz.

9. "Did I leave the oven on?"

You should probably go check on that. Ah, but what if Ted Cruz says something hilarious and you miss it? Still, the house might explode. But if you survive, you'll probably be covered thanks to the Affirmative Care Act. Thanks, Obama.

]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/mary-bonauto-gay-marriage_n_6977832.htmlReutershttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/mary-bonauto-gay-marriage_n_6977832.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:01:00 -0400By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Lawyers advocating for a right to gay marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court announced on Tuesday they had chosen Mary Bonauto, a longtime champion of gay legal rights, to argue the landmark case on April 28. The choice of Bonauto, a litigator with the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and an architect of legal strategy for gay unions since the early 1990s, was made after weeks of jockeying by lawyers and negotiations among challengers to bans on gay marriage in four states. Although the nine justices typically rely on written briefs in such cases, a lawyer's performance during oral arguments can sometimes tip the scales. It can also bring a lawyer in a big case public attention and professional prestige. From the battery of lawyers representing gay couples in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky, only two could have spots at the lectern before the justices for the two legal issues in the case. Those are: whether the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law protects a nationwide right to same-sex marriage; and, if it does not, whether states banning such unions must recognize gay marriages performed in states that permit them. Currently, 37 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage. To argue the second question, related to state recognition, the challengers chose Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, a former assistant U.S. solicitor general now with a private law firm. Arguing for the states defending bans will be John Bursch, a former Michigan solicitor general, and Joseph Whalen, a Tennessee associate solicitor general. Hallward-Driemeier, working on the Tennessee appeal, is an appellate specialist who has argued 14 times before the justices. Bonauto, who has not previously appeared before the high court, has argued extensively in lower courts for gay marriage including in the case that made Massachusetts the first state to allow same-sex couples to marry in 2004. As gay advocates noted in announcing the news, Bonauto was dubbed "our Thurgood Marshall" by Barney Frank, a gay former U.S. House of Representatives member, referring to the civil rights legend who helped end school segregation before becoming the first African American justice. Negotiations among the lawyers involved had gone beyond an informal March 17 deadline set by the court and culminated with mock oral arguments among contenders on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Initial reaction from gay rights attorneys to Bonauto's selection was positive. Bonauto said in a statement she was "humbled to be standing up" in the case. The justices will hear arguments over 2-1/2 hours on April 28. A ruling is expected by the end of June. (Editing by Will Dunham) ]]>Arturo S. Rodríguez?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:00:19 -0400
The Chavez family and farm worker movement are grateful for all these recognitions, which continue to grow 22 years after his passing in 1993. But he said that if the union he helped build didn't survive his death, then his life's work would have been in vain. The United Farm Workers carries on Cesar's legacy every day by aggressively helping farm workers organize, negotiate union contracts and win new legal protections.

Activists and elected officials in San Francisco will honor Cesar Chavez on the day he would have turned 88 by standing with some of the farm workers for whom he dedicated his life.

Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will use Tuesday, March 31, to enter an epic battle by farm workers seeking implementation of their union contract against a giant Central Valley grower -- reminiscent of 1960s farm labor fights. The lawmakers will vote on a measure calling on giant Gerawan Farming to honor a United Farm Workers contract issued in 2013 by a neutral mediator and approved by the state. Gerawan, one of the nation's largest tree fruit and grape growers, sells its produce across the U.S. under the Prima label. The Fresno-based company, with more than 5,000 workers, is illegally avoiding millions of dollars in pay increases and other benefits by refusing to honor the union contract.

We are joining more than 100 Gerawan workers who are traveling by bus from the Fresno area as well as local labor, faith, civil rights and community activists for a march to City Hall. Then we will pack the Board of Supervisors chambers for the debate and vote on the measure, which is expected to pass.

The resolution by Supervisor David Campos calls upon Gerawan Farming "to implement the UFW union contract issued by the neutral mediator and the state of California, to cease its hostile working environment, and to acknowledge through action the basic human rights of fair compensation and non-discriminatory treatment."

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution last October. The L.A. Unified School District Board of Education approved a similar measure in February -- and so did the Long Beach City Council this month. The Washington, D.C., City Council will take up another support-the-Gerawan-workers resolution on April 7, and additional actions are planned in other cities.

An administrative judge with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board recently finished six months of hearings in Fresno. Sworn testimony was taken on sweeping complaints or indictments from state prosecutors charging Gerawan with multiple, serious and repeated violations of the law aimed at "prevent[ing] the UFW from ever representing its employees under a [union contract]" and at trying to decertify, or get rid, of the UFW, according to the ALRB general counsel, who issued the complaints.

The latest state-issued complaint states that "Gerawan and its supervisors" unlawfully supported workers who "stopped work and engaged in anti-UFW and anti-ALRB protests [to promote] decertification [of the union, and that] Gerawan ... coerc[ed] workers into participating in protests" and closed its fields, directing workers to pro-company demonstrations. Gerawan also engaged in threats, interrogation and surveillance of workers, state prosecutors allege.

Meanwhile, Gerawan reacts to the indicting complaints by claiming, without any proof, that state investigators and prosecutors are biased. A slick PR campaign by radical right-wing groups based in Washington, D.C., and affiliated with Grover Norquist, who is backed by the Koch brothers, is being orchestrated on Gerawan's behalf. Gerawan workers and their supporters will picket outside Norquist's Washington offices just before the D.C. resolution is debated at City Hall.

The best way to honor Cesar Chavez is by supporting the cause for which he sacrificed everything. That's happening in San Francisco on his birthday this year. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/rap-music-prosecutions_n_6949078.htmlNick Winghttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/rap-music-prosecutions_n_6949078.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 07:34:45 -0400societal ills and the responsibility of hip-hop, even an “extraterrestrial time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon from the planet Jupiter.” Sometimes, their lyrics are an unvarnished reflection of the realities they live. Other times their words are less grounded in the truth, or are complete fiction. Rap, like any other musical genre, is about artistry, expression and entertainment. It has no obligation to absolute accuracy.

But what happens when a rapper's lyrics are used against them, cherry-picked by police and prosecutors and held up as evidence of a crime? A number of recent cases have highlighted this concern, reigniting debate around the controversial practice and how it is applied exclusively to rap music.

Last week, a San Diego judge threw out felony conspiracy charges against Brandon Duncan, a 33-year-old rapper who goes by the stage name Tiny Doo. He had been accused of contributing to gang activity. Prosecutors offered the lyrics of Duncan's self-produced mixtape, released in 2014, as proof. Duncan had faced the possibility of life in prison under a 2000 California law that has been used to crack down on gang activity and those who promote or benefit from it. In some cases, however, critics claim the law is also used to criminalize black culture.

“This is one of the most disturbing examples of where kids are using poetry to get out of the hood and we are sending them right back in,” Erik Nielson, a professor at the University of Richmond who has studied the prosecution of rap lyrics extensively, told The Huffington Post.

Duncan was being prosecuted under California's Street Terrorism and Prevention Act, or STEP Act, which deems it illegal to “willfully promote” or “benefit” from criminal gang activity. At the time of Duncan's arrest, he had no criminal record and no idea that he was facing nine felony conspiracy charges based almost entirely on rap lyrics published in his latest album, “No Safety.” Prosecutors argued that the material in the mixtape -- which includes lyrics like “Ain't no safety on this pistol I'm holding," and a sample of a speech by Black Panther Fred Hampton, also used by electronic artist Thievery Corporation -- had inspired a series of local rival gang shootings the year before.

Duncan claimed he was not a gang member, and that he hadn't even profited from his mixtape. One fact was never in doubt throughout the legal proceedings: Prosecutors did not believe Duncan was directly involved in any of the gang crimes. But they maintained they had enough evidence to link Duncan's rap lyrics -- which he says reflected his experience growing up in a rough San Diego neighborhood -- to crimes allegedly committed by other gang members.

“What is so frightening and disturbing about his case is that they were going to essentially pin the whole charge on this outrageous theory that because he was a rapper, his street credibility and therefore his popularity and records sales would have increased as a result,” Nielson said.

Duncan spent seven months behind bars after his arrest. Earlier this year, he posted bail after successfully petitioning to have it reduced from $500,000 to $50,000. While Duncan’s charges were ultimately dropped, his case highlights a disturbing trend of rap lyrics being used in courtrooms across the country, often in the absence of more traditional forms of hard evidence to link suspects to a crime.

“It is a cheap way to get a conviction, and we found in many cases that prosecutors are likely to do so when they don't have much evidence otherwise,” Nielson said. “No one seems to understand the severity of the problem.”

In one such case in 2000, up-and-coming rapper McKinley "Mac" Phipps was charged with first-degree murder after a concertgoer was shot during one of his performances near New Orleans. Phipps had no prior criminal record, and prosecutors for the state had no forensic evidence to tie him to the murder. Instead, they turned to his rap lyrics to attack his character. In his closing statement, Assistant District Attorney Bruce Dearing took lyrics from Phipps' song "Murda, Murda, Kill, Kill” and stitched them together with altered lyrics from another song, "Shell Shocked," presenting them to the all-white jury as proof that Phipps was a killer.

"This defendant who did this is the same defendant whose message is, 'Murder murder, kill, kill, you f**k with me you get a bullet in your brain,'" he said. "You don't have to be a genius to figure out that one plus one equals two."

The actual lyrics, "Ya f--k with me, he'll give you a bullet in yo brain," were about Phipps' father, a Vietnam War veteran. But the jury bought Dearing's simple math and found Phipps guilty. He was eventually sentenced to 30 years in jail.

"The rap got his mind all messed up," jury foreman Robert Hammell told The Huffington Post of the jury's decision to convict. "He was living a life that he thought he was a gangsta. He was making it big time with the gold chains and all that s**t that went with it. To shoot somebody in a public place on the dance floor, you gotta think you're a bad son of a b***h."

Phipps performing "Murda, Murda, Kill, Kill” at a concert in 1999.

In the past few months, the prosecution’s witnesses have come forward and recanted their testimony, citing bullying by authorities who allegedly forced them to lie under oath. The allegations have added another wrinkle to an already complicated case, and again led to questions about how significant Phipps' lyrics were in obtaining a conviction.

Rap music -- and particularly what has become known in some circles as "gangster rap" -- often delves into violent and obscene topics. It's not unusual for these songs to cover details of actual events. But rap is also a genre in which stories are regularly told through the lens of a fictional persona assumed by the artist. With the success of amateur rappers often relying on their ability to come across as authentic in their music, performers may recount episodes that are well-known in a community but that they themselves weren't necessarily a part of. In other instances, rappers might simply embellish or fabricate details of an encounter or their involvement in it, in an effort to advance their career. The criminal justice system often appears disinterested in these nuances.

Critics also say there's a clear racial dynamic in how rap lyrics are seized upon and used against suspects.

“A lot of people have a difficult time viewing young men of color, the frequent producers of rap lyrics as artists in the first place,” Nielson said. “It's a potent tool for prosecutors because, frankly, they can secure a guilty verdict by playing into those stereotypes.”

In effect, people are more willing to take the content of a song at face value if the lyrics reinforce racially charged preconceptions about young, black males, particularly regarding sexuality and violence.

This makes rap a perfect weapon for law enforcement and prosecutors. Police have been encouraged to parse rap songs to see if they can make a connection between lyrics and unsolved crimes. As NPR noted in 2014, a sergeant for a Virginia gang task force told a German newspaper that his officers regularly scour social networks and amateur videos for potential clues, effectively spending about as much time on the computer as they do on the street. In 2006, the FBI advised prosecutors to examine suspects' rap lyrics, suggesting they should be considered literal reflections of "true-life experiences."

Prosecutors have introduced lyrics both as evidence of an actual crime, and of a suspect's supposed capacity to commit a crime. There are concerns that rap music is regularly misinterpreted or deliberately manipulated in these legal settings, leading to unfair trials that can end with an innocent person being convicted. And the controversy stemming from these practices extends beyond Duncan and Phipps.

In 2014, Antwain Steward was convicted on weapons charges linked to a 2007 double-murder in Newport News, Virginia. Steward was charged years later, after a detective assigned to the case was tipped off to a YouTube video of his song, “Ride Out,” which police said boasted about his role in the shootings. While there were clear discrepancies between the lyrics and the details of the crime, the prosecution brought forth witnesses that, years later, corroborated their claims that Steward was the shooter. During the trial, the defense cast doubt on the credibility of these witnesses. The prosecution objected to any mention of the lyrics that had led to the trial in the first place. The jury found Steward not guilty on the murder charges, but guilty on the weapons charges. He is now serving a 16-year jail sentence.

A recording of "Ride Out," by Steward, also known as Twain Gotti.

In Pennsylvania, Vonte Skinner is currently standing trial for a third time on charges that he shot and paralyzed a drug dealer in 2005. Skinner had previously been convicted for the crime and given a 30-year jail sentence after prosecution introduced rap lyrics as evidence of his violent predisposition and involvement in the shooting. The New Jersey Supreme Court later overturned that ruling, declaring his rap lyrics inadmissible and offering him another trial.

In March 2014, The New York Times reported that rap lyrics had played a significant part in nearly 40 prosecutions over the preceding two years. In a recent article for Vox, Nielson and co-author Michael Render -- the rapper better known as Killer Mike -- say they've "identified hundreds of cases so far, and we suspect that's just the tip of the iceberg."

Nielson told HuffPost these cases expose a deeply flawed double standard in determining what is real and what is metaphorical when it comes to artistic expression. He believes “the rules of evidence should automatically preclude the introduction of rap as evidence.” Such lyrics, Nielson says, should be protected as a nuanced art form, not put up for analysis under the hyper-literal mindset typically undertaken in the courtroom.

"The vast majority of aspiring rappers are spending hours a day working on rap music ... to escape a life of violence, not to perpetuate it."

Even if a guilty defendant is prosecuted and convicted with the help of rap lyrics, should those words be allowed to serve as a replacement for more traditional forms of evidence? Do we think it's fair for a prosecutor to tell a jury that they must judge a rap song's lyrics as an honest reflection of the artist's mental psyche, especially knowing the underlying racial biases likely to be at play? And more generally, which forms of expression should be protected and which should be allowed to be used against the person expressing them? The Supreme Court will take up this last question in a case later this year.

Enabled by murky legal territory, cultural ignorance and engrained racial bias, police and prosecutors have been rewarded for criminalizing aspects of an art form overwhelmingly practiced by young, black men. Nielson believes there's a particularly troubling irony in this trend of targeting.

“What most people are missing is that the vast majority of aspiring rappers are spending hours a day working on rap music and, regardless of the content, the reason they are doing it is to escape a life of violence, not to perpetuate it." ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/prisoner-escapes-virginia-hospital_n_6975208.htmlJade Walkerhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/prisoner-escapes-virginia-hospital_n_6975208.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 06:03:31 -0400now in the custody of Metropolitan Police.

John Gonzalez of ABC7 said on Twitter that police officers are going room to room, looking for the suspect. The station also said officers were searching the parking garages and nearby neighborhoods. All entrances to the hospital are closed.

Assaye is a black male, 6 feet tall, 170 pounds and wearing a hospital gown and no shoes.

Police are looking for this escaped prisoner. He is wearing a hospital gown and no shoes & armed with a gun. pic.twitter.com/sMtvEYkWeL

According to the hospital's website, the 833-bed facility is Northern Virginia's only Level 1 trauma center and has been ranked the top medical center in the Washington DC metro area for three years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

This is a developing story. More to come. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gail-nakada/how-to-cherry-blossom-like-a-japanese_b_6968936.htmlGail Nakadahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/gail-nakada/how-to-cherry-blossom-like-a-japanese_b_6968936.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:09:16 -0400Chidorigafuchi, the Imperial Moat, in Tokyo.

'To cherry blossom' may not be an actual verb phrase but it should since blossom viewing actually requires a lot of action. Whether you're in Japan already or contemplating a future trip, here's how to get your hanami (blossom viewing) on like a local.

Night viewing at Meguro Gawa (river).

Assemble your picnic.
Tradition calls for eating and drinking under the blossoms either during the day or in the evening by the light of colorful lanterns. Whether with your work mates, your family, your friends, or just on your own, food is an integral part of the celebration.

Typical inexpensive picnic fare from the local supermarket.

Japanese have always prepared beautifully handcrafted sushi rolls and homemade treats for such outings. These days, though, an equal number stop by the supermarket to pick up ready-made food -- especially when it's an office party. Supermarkets and convenience stores have thoughtfully prepared all sorts of grab-and-go treats.

This is the time of year you can consume alcohol in public at your picnic as long as you don't walk around with an open container. So pick up some beer or wine or just a bottle of cold Japanese green tea if you prefer.

Remember that shrines and temples do not allow picnicking usually.

Picnicking Japanese-style under the cherry blossoms at Ueno.

Get a picnic mat
Japanese hate to get their clothes wet or dirty and will not sit on the ground without a plastic sheet, newspaper, handkerchief, something between them and mother earth. Everyone, young or old, either has a picnic mat at home or knows where to get one on short notice.

Hundred yen stores have picnic mats and so much more for weary travelers.

Hundred yen stores -- the local equivalent of the dollar store -- stock picnic mats year round. They call them 'leisure sheets' or 'leisure mats'. If you can't find a mat, or just can't be bothered, a newspaper will do. (All convenience stores have newspapers.)

There are strict rules regarding leisure mat protocol. Do not wear your shoes on your mat. That's the sign of a barbarian. Remove them and place them alongside. Also, try not to step on other people's mats while settling in.

Pick your spot
The crowds at well-known viewing spots like Ueno and Shinjuku Gyoen parks are legendary. More people than blossoms per square foot on prime viewing days, or so it seems.

Expectation.

If you want to experience the season like a native, you'll dive right in. Japanese love group activities. For them, there's actually a happy sense of belonging in these kinds of crowds. A feeling that, 'Yes, we too are Japanese'. People are good natured about the congestion and no one is really in a hurry anyway.

Reality.

Nevertheless, everyone wants a prime spot right under one of the trees. These can be hard to find by mid-afternoon. Companies large and small often send one of the junior staff to stake out a place until the rest of the crew can get away. You'll see them, bored, on their phones, in a suit, shoes off, sitting on the mat on guard duty for hour after hour.

We serve who also sit and wait.

Hint: If you hate crowd scenes, get up early in the morning before the rush. Although temples and shrines don't open before nine a.m. generally, you can hit the Meguro River, the area around Chidorigafuchi (Imperial moat) or Ueno Park at dawn! The Starbucks in the center of Ueno Park opens at eight a.m. So, instead of a picnic, go for breakfast.

Party on:
For the average Japanese, hanami is not about sitting in quiet contemplation and writing haiku on the ephemeral quality of life. Not that there aren't people who still do this, of course. Just not in Ueno Park. There are a lot of revels going right up until evening. Don't be surprised if the noise escalates along with everyone's blood alcohol levels.

Spread out your mat and your picnic. Be friendly to your neighbors. If they offer you a drink or a bite of their picnic, be sure to offer some back. As a visitor, watching the crowds stroll by is almost as entertaining as looking at the trees. Oh, and just because others are getting drunk, doesn't mean you should as well.

Clean up
People here are a neat and tidy bunch for the most part. All the parks popular for hanami have designated trash areas for burnables and non-burnables.

Ueno has the trash under control.

Where to go
Visitors will be surprised at the sheer number of cherry trees around Tokyo and indeed all of Japan. It's hard not to see a cherry tree in bloom in early April. There are stands of trees bordering little streets and busy boulevards and in the most unexpected places.

Honestly, people will picnic anywhere. This is a little shopping street with blossom-lovers camped out between the Gap and a supermarket.

Ueno Park, despite the crowd is one of the locals' favorite spots for picnics. (Ueno Station on the JR or metro lines.) Nighttime illumination is on until just 8 p.m. With April 12th the last day.

Chidorgafuchi, isn't a picnic spot but a beautiful stroll with massive trees on both sides of the moat. You can also rent row boats to get right up to the branches hanging over the water. The lanterns are turned on until 10 p.m. to April 12th. Really the best place for night viewing in my opinion. (Kudanshita Metro Station. Follow the moat to your right for the long promenade. Make a U-turn and come back when you're done.)

For more detailed info on the best cherry blossom viewing spots around town and how to get there, have a look at my guide in Huffington Post. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/murray-backs-schumer_n_6970806.htmlLaura Barron-Lopezhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/murray-backs-schumer_n_6970806.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:38:31 -0400
“Senator Murray spoke to Senator Schumer several times over the past few days and told him that she planned to support him for leader next Congress and looks forward to continuing to be his partner in Senate Democratic leadership,” the aide said, responding to news first reported by CQ Roll Call.

The Washington Democrat's backing makes it a near certainty that Schumer will replace Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) when he retires at the end of 2016.

Murray, the Democrats’ conference secretary, has yet to say whether she will challenge Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), however, leaving the No. 2 spot in leadership an open question for the next Congress.

The leadership shuffle comes after Reid announced on Friday he would not seek re-election in 2016, catching the Democratic conference off guard.

Reid immediately endorsed Schumer to succeed him, despite Durbin’s post as the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. Durbin said he will support Schumer's bid. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/veep_n_6949614.htmlLauren Ducahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/veep_n_6949614.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:15:42 -0400Armando Iannucci, series creator of HBO's "Veep," writes deftly about a woman's rise in American politics. Native to Scotland, he had a bit to learn in converting the brand of humor he'd established while working on "The Thick of It," a look at the mechanics of modern British government. And yet, as we enter the fourth season of his show, starring masterfully comedic Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Iannucci delivers one of the most eerily accurate (and funny) versions of Washington to date. HuffPost Entertainment spoke with Iannucci about crafting the bumbling bureaucracy showcased on "Veep" and what to expect in Season 4.

How long did you know you wanted to make Selina Meyer president this past season? You could have played around a bit longer with her aiming for the office.
I think as soon as we started writing Season 3 we knew we were going to end with Selina [played by Louis-Dreyfus] in office. We decided it was finally time to just do it. We thought we could do a lot more with her in the position and decided not to lag through possibilities or leave room for predictions about what might happen. That's where the show was leading, and there's a lot to work with now that we've done it.

You're a British man writing about a woman in American politics. What knowledge gaps did you confront with that entry point? What have you learned since starting the show?
We learned we needed to make Selina stronger. This is a woman who has run for and won a position in the senate. That has to come from somewhere. She has to have some foundation of wit and cunning based on that, if nothing else. So, we've added a bit to the character in that regard. She couldn't just be a bumbling idiot.

She definitely developed more of a cynicism toward the end of Season 1 and beginning of 2. She is less incompetent than she was earlier on.
Right. That's why you hear all these senators and people in office saying they had to talk to their families before they made the decision to run. It's a serious decision. It's a lot. They go for everything. Everything you've ever said, every video you've ever been in comes up. It takes a lot out of you and you have to have a certain disposition to handle it. There's also a lot for her to skewer with that mindset of being cynical about incompetence rather than just being incompetent.

In that regard, obviously a huge part of the show is the insults. What's your recipe for crafting them? I know you've said they need to be "of the moment." How do you make sure that's the case with each jab?
Well, since we know what's going to happen, we work a lot with dealing in the situation. We bring in the cast for readings and that's where a lot of the changes to the script get made. I said to them, you know, "You've been living with these characters for several years. What is your worst fear as the character? What is the worst thing that could happen to them?" Much of that has made it into the script. Gary not having use of his arm, for example. That was his worst nightmare.

Is that usually part of your writing process or is it just something you thought was a good fit for this cast?
This is the first time I've done that, talked to the cast in advance of the show. It was an interesting process for everyone, because it made everyone really think hard about the character. I also worked for that season to make sure the characters were out of their comfort zone. You know, Selina, had to come up with a view on birth control, whereas in the past it's been okay for her to not say anything. I wanted her to be put slightly on edge this season.

You know, often comedies are either praised for the acting or the writing. Here it's a clear mix of both. Not to take anything away from your writing, of course --
Oh no, that's great! We do so much work with the scripts. You know, rewriting, rewriting, rewriting, in order to arrive at something that's happening spontaneously in front of the cameras.

They all handle the material with such levity, though often the scripts are quite intense. I imagine that's not quite as easy as you all make it look.
It's that Gene Kelly thing. If it looks like you're working hard, then you're not working hard enough. Everyone in this cast are such talented character performers, with such a comedic sensibility as constant improvisors, that actually the more we get to know them as writers, the more we can write specifically for them. You know, the more more we're thinking, "Let's give Amy this, because we know Anna will have a great time doing that. Let's do this for Mike, because we know that Matt can really pull something out of the bag at this point." They're sort of testing us and we're sort of testing them simultaneously, which is great. It's the sort of thing you should be doing by the third season.

Now, you've built this one version of Washington that sort of sits with other, much more foreboding, dramatic versions in pop culture. How do you think of your D.C. in conversation with the universe we see in, say, "House of Cards?"
I always thought you've always got the dark conspiracy view of Washington or the very noble, heroic version -- you know, the president leads the air force through an alien invasion type of thing. And I felt I wanted that dull, day-to-day existence of what D.C. is actually like, and get the vulnerabilities of these people, and trying not to treat them as black and white, but as very varied, fallible people. So, there's a sort of humanity there and, hopefully, a believability. Out of that, that's where the comedy comes from.

It's this vision that is certainly not how we hope to see the government, but something far closer to what it actually is.
I think so. And I think that's what people who work with me say about the show. It's a comedy, but it's kind of accurate.

And I know you're supposed to focus on Season 3 here, but what can you tell me about 4?
Well, she's president, but she's behind in the polls, and there are only eight months to go before the actual election. It could be the shortest presidency in history. But we see her on the world's stage. There's a visit from the Israelis, there's a trip to Iran. And then there's some new major figures in her horizon as the election comes near.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

"Veep: The Complete Third Season" is available March 31 on Blu-ray and DVD; Season 4 premieres April 12 on HBO. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/woman-sings-to-pig_n_6968836.htmlArin Greenwoodhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/woman-sings-to-pig_n_6968836.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:09:29 -0400recovering from an illness, believed to be meningitis, that has left him blind.

Adoptive mom Corinne DiLorenzo, the founder of Illinois-based EARTH Animal Sanctuary, goes to visit Bentley most days. And when she does, the trained opera singer sings an old Irish lullaby, the "Connemara Cradle Song," to her 9-month-old, 14-pound piglet.

"We need to start changing the way we view animals," explains DiLorenzo. Until Bentley is discharged, she'll keep going to the hospital, singing a version of the cradle song that she used to croon to her own son when he was a baby.

Home for Bentley, DiLorenzo, and her now 13-year-old son is a 7-acre farm in central Illinois, where DiLorenzo takes in primarily, sick, elderly and special needs animals.

"Mostly our sanctuary is for the unadoptables," says DiLorenzo, who bought the property about a year and a half ago. She hopes in the future to open a bed and breakfast and vegan restaurant on site.

Bentley is a special case for EARTH Animal Sanctuary. As a youngster, he'd been voluntarily given up by a previous owner who came to realize that keeping a pet pig -- typically smart, and prone to destructiveness when bored -- was more responsibility than he could handle.

DiLorenzo agreed to take Bentley in temporarily, until he was adopted into a permanent home. But then he and a 10-year-old pig named Percy "fell in love," she says. And she couldn't let him go.

When he's released from the hospital, Bentley will be back to living inside the house with Percy, as well as with two more pigs, three dogs, about a dozen rabbits, three turtles, a bearded dragon, and a chinchilla, as well as one very spoiled rooster and hen couple.

The barn has another small menagerie: nine more pigs, three goats, three turkeys, 10-odd hens, a few dozen roosters, two peacocks, a small gang of geese, and one goose named Honkey, who DiLorenzo says is "bossy" toward the other animals.

Even if the goose can get a little big for his britches, DiLorenzo says her animals all coexist peacefully, without seeming to mind cohabiting with members of other species.

"I think humans can learn so much from that," she says.

Gertie met her first rooster today. She must've liked him, because later she crawled up next to him so they could nap...

Get in touch at arin.greenwood@huffingtonpost.com if you have an animal story to share! ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-de-santis/dc-unveils-plan-to-reduce_b_6970540.htmlDeborah De Santishttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-de-santis/dc-unveils-plan-to-reduce_b_6970540.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:57:13 -0400
Past mayors of our nation's capital have been frustrated by efforts to turn the tide against homelessness -- it is a daunting challenge -- but we sense increased momentum and resolve in the District to embrace proven programs that work to house people and keep them off the streets.

Mayor Bowser has set concrete goals and timelines, and relies on the kind of systems changing initiatives known to make a real difference.

The District has long been grappling with their unacceptable, run-down family homeless shelter located on the campus of a former hospital, and the new plan calls for slashing the time families or individuals spend in temporary shelter, quickly moving them instead into apartments offering affordable rents and longer-term permanency. A key objective lowers the average shelter stay for homeless residents from six months to two months -- by locating them into better housing as soon as possible.

A large share of those apartments would be supportive housing -- affordable rental units stabilizing families and individuals who are then able to access intensive services to address their many needs. Supportive housing helps the most vulnerable amongst us, and the overwhelming majority of chronic homeless individuals and families are fragile and require the additional assistance.

The Mayor also is intent on cutting in half over five years the number of single adults staying in city shelters each night.

The plan will not be cheap. The price tag to create housing will be in the millions. The district will be tasked to secure additional funds, more resources than just relying on its own tax base to pay for a comprehensive initiative. But, and the evidence for this is solid, it will cost District taxpayers far more over the long run to do nothing, keeping people in temporary shelters and providing crisis services on the streets, than it will create quality affordable rental units and community-based preventive services.

The transition from shelters to apartments will not be easy either. Advocates agree the District will have to do a better job identifying and developing low-cost apartments for the homeless. Like other metropolitan areas in our country, the District has a serious shortage of affordable housing across the board and this, too, must be addressed with a sense of urgency

The bottom line is always the supply of affordable housing or the lack thereof. In other words, many people would not face the prospect of homelessness if they had an affordable place to live.

Some in our society do not think affordable housing should be a priority, but the economies of our cities are now taking direct hits because too many of the people who make them run -- cab drivers, preschool teachers, police officers, health-care workers, security guards -- cannot afford to live in them. And the further people move away from their jobs in the cities, the more the hours commuting, extra child care expense, and wasted productivity sitting in mindless traffic gridlock, makes relocating to the not-so-cheap suburbs just as impossible as finding a nice, affordable apartment downtown.

There is little doubt Mayor Bowser and her team and the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness are taking on a herculean task. They have their work cut out for them. But, as they know all too well, failure to confront these problems head on now will lead to much bigger headaches in the future. ]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/best-main-streets-award-winners-2015_n_6814088.htmlJessica Cumberbatch Andersonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/best-main-streets-award-winners-2015_n_6814088.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 09:00:07 -0400There are two tales of Main Street in the United States: The "heartline of America" that Walt Disney mapped out some 60 years ago, and the less idyllic business districts like H Street in Washington, D.C.

The Near Northeast neighborhood, one of Washington's earliest and busiest commercial districts, wasn't always a symbol of dashed hopes. "I grew up in the H Street area when H Street was very vibrant," says Anwar Saleem, Executive Director of H Street Main Street, an organization dedicated to the revitalization of the historic strip. "We had shoulder to shoulder people, retail, music stores, department stores, beauty salons... you name it, we had it on H Street." That was back in the '50s and early '60s. And then the riots happened.

"I was 7 years old. I remember the principal coming over the loud speaker and telling us that Dr. King had been killed," Saleem recalls. "That was the beginning of the demise [of H Street]. During the riots, some key pieces burned down, a lot of the owners of buildings abandoned [them]... and next thing you know, everything just deteriorated," he says.

This aerial photo shows fire-gutted buildings, some still smouldering, along a block on H Street between 12th and 13th Streets in the northeast section of Washington, D.C. on April 5, 1968. Photo: AP

Some 40 years later, the makings of a renaissance had reached critical mass in D.C. But it would take more than a handful of local leaders like Saleem to pull it off. They'd need to call in the big guns -- politicians, deep-pocketed natives and organizations like the National Trust’s Main Street Center.

The latter, founded in 1980, works with local communities to encourage preservation-based community revitalization, and "has equipped more than 2,000 older commercial districts with the skills, and organizing framework they need for renewal," according to the center's site.

Washington, D.C. wasn't the only city to see its downtown district go to ruin during the late '60s. Harrisonburg, Virginia native Eddie Bumbaugh experienced, first-hand, similar disrepair in the heart of his hometown. "My father owned the Buick dealership in downtown, so I grew up connected to [it]," says Bumbaugh, who now serves as executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. "During the decades of the 1970s to 1990s, the downtown district underwent significant deterioration, vacancies, and economic challenges, as was the case with many communities around the country." Bumbaugh blames the development of malls and chain stores located out of the downtown area for the overall decline of Main Street, America.

Saleem agrees. "The introduction of Landover Mall pulled people away from H Street to a certain degree," though he also points to the media's role in keeping a resurgence at bay. "The media was our biggest enemy. [First] it was the riots. They constantly reminded us of the riots. Then it was the Catherine Fuller murder," he says of the brutal slaying of a mother of six on H Street that garnered national attention. "They constantly reminded us of [that]. It could be ten years later, but they always kept in our face the horrendous stuff that took place there."

In 2005, the Main Street Center kicked off a program that would prove to be one of its most important incentives in helping communities like H Street and Harrisonburg turn their reputations around: The Great American Main Street Awards (GAMSA).

GAMSA recognizes communities who they say demonstrate "exemplary achievement in the process of strengthening their downtowns and commercial districts." Washington D.C.'s H Street won the award in 2013 and Harrisonburg took home the title in 2014. "A short dozen years ago, that would have been inconceivable," Bumbaugh says.

83 other Main Streets have been named in the 20 years since the award program launched. This year, the Main Street Center is adding three more to the list. Check out the slideshow below for this year's winners and the Center's site for a list of winners past.

But if they don't like being criticized, why do so many of them keep behaving like B-movie villains? That's exactly what executives from Citigroup, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America looked like after an article appeared last week detailing their coordinated attempt to intimidate Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats who want to fix the mess on Wall Street.

They've cheated customers and defrauded investors. Now they want to use our legalized system of campaign-cash corruption to protect themselves from the very government that rescued them.

Dark Matters

According to a recent, well-reported Reuters article, "Big Wall Street banks are so upset with U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest."

"Symbolic protest"? "Heavy-handed threat" is more like it. That sentence suggests that they're seeking to punish not only Warren and her allies but all Senate Democrats -- presumably until they reduce or eliminate her influence within the party.

Although the Reuters piece cites only "a maximum of $15,000" in potentially withheld contributions per bank, the threat is considerably greater than that. That maximum only applies to political party contributions from a PAC. (PACs can also contribute up to $5,000 to each individual candidate.)

But PACs aren't where the action is. It turns out that the campaign contribution game isn't all that different from Wall Street's other financial activities: In both cases the real money's in "innovative instruments."

"Super PACs," for example, can raise unlimited sums of money. They can then "spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates," as OpenSecrets.org explains. The list of 2014's top 100 donors to these outside spending groups includes a number of Wall Streeters.

Bankers also contribute as individuals. When JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon testified before the Senate Banking Committee about his bank's "London Whale" fraud, for example, The Nation's George Zornick pointed out that only two of the 22 senators facing him had not received campaign contributions from his bank's employees.

Then there are the "bundlers," high-net-worth individuals who assemble large "bundles" of contributions from their peers and subordinates. They're responsible for major cash infusions to campaigns from both parties.

Spending is also skyrocketing for "dark money" groups, which are not required to disclose their donors. The banking industry is presumably well-represented there as well, although the veil of darkness surrounding these mountains of cash makes it impossible to know for sure.

We might have known, had the Securities and Exchange Commission followed through on plans to require publicly traded companies to disclose their political spending. But the SEC changed its mind, which may have been inevitable once prosecutor-turned-Wall-Street-lawyer Mary Jo White was selected to run it.

President Obama, who appointed White to that position, could do a lot to fix the dark money problem. As Lee Fang points out in The Nation, Obama could expose most of it with a stroke of the pen by requiring government contractors to disclose their contributions.

The Reuters article named four banks in last week's not-so-subtle shakedown attempt: Citigroup, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America. Each of these banks has been deeply implicated in a variety of massive, well-documented, multibillion-dollar frauds. Bankers at each institution were able to settle their fraud with shareholder cash -- without facing jail time. And each bank took billions in government bailout money.

Readers may well wonder whether these banks are even permitted to band together for the purpose of blackmailing a political party. They are; campaign cash is "speech," remember? But then, bankers collude with one another even when it's not legal. (See here and here, for example.)

And why wouldn't bankers engage in unlawful conspiracy and fraud? It's not like any of them have gone to prison for it.

Does campaign cash correlate with good outcomes for Wall Street? Consider this: The "Citigroup amendment" to last year's "Cromnibus" budget deal -- so named because Citigroup lobbyists literally wrote much of the bill's language -- served the top five banks (including the four who so crudely threatened Democrats last week) very well.

Given all this, it's not hard to see why Wall Streeters would target Warren and Democratic colleagues like Sherrod Brown. (Bernie Sanders wasn't mentioned, presumably because he's not a Democrat.)

The rise of the Democrats' "Warren wing" is a serious threat to the financial industry's interests. It has enjoyed considerable influence over the party under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and the Warren wing poses a very real threat to that influence.

The Showdown

With the 2016 campaign coming up, this is a critical moment in the struggle for the Democratic Party. Venture capitalist Alan Patricof, described last year as a "longtime Hillary Clinton friend and bundler," was asked in January whether "deep Democratic pockets" were enthusiastic about contributing to her campaign. Patricof said they're "tripping over themselves" to contribute. He also said that Clinton is "very sensitive to ... Elizabeth Warren trying to paint her as being identified with Wall Street."

Bankers would presumably be far more comfortable investing in candidates who aren't facing that kind of pressure.

In his defense, Patricof invests in actual businesses, ventures that are part of the productive economy rather than the ephemeral financial sphere. The four banks that threatened the Democratic Party last week are far more dependent on the federal government -- a government that allowed them to become too big to fail, bailed them out when they collapsed from their own fraud and mismanagement, and has since allowed them to become bigger than ever.

The last thing these bankers want is a debate within the Democratic Party about reforming Wall Street and breaking up their too-big-to-fail institutions -- a debate that could energize the "Warren wing" and leave finance-friendlier Dems on the defensive.

For her part, Warren was unfazed, describing the threat as "warning shot ... a showy way to tell Democrats across the country to be scared of speaking out, to be timid about standing up, and to stay away from fighting for what's right."

Added Warren, "OK, they have taken their shot, but it will not work."

Sen. Warren has it exactly right. Warren and her peers have started a conversation that Wall Street doesn't want us to have. She is to be commended for resisting the big banks' undemocratic (and ungrateful) attack on the very system that saved them.

One thing is clear: This wasn't just a threat against a few senators, or a Democratic Party faction. It was a naked attempt to crush public debate with campaign cash. That makes it an attack on democracy itself. If the big banks weren't unpopular already, this undertaking would certainly help turn public opinion against them. They have made the case more convincingly than their critics ever could: We need to get money out of politics -- and break up the big banks.

Warren and her allies clearly have public opinion on their side. Some 79 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of Wall Street, and 80 percent of voters in last year's battleground states agreed that politicians do too much to support Wall Street and not enough for the middle class. Meanwhile, 60 percent favor stricter regulation of Wall Street.

But then, we've known it since the days of the B-movies: Americans hate to see the bad guys win. ]]>